Apparatus for welding pipe lines



y 20, 1965 J. w. NELSON ETAL 3,196,245

APPARATUS FOR WELDING PIPE LINES Filed Oct. 16, 1961. 2 Sheets-Sheet lFlG.-3

I I5 2? 141 3 Q zgzgmfi l6 Jerome W. Nelson Glenn E. Faulkner mvsmons MHurry C. Cook BY M PATENT ATTORNEY y 20, 1965 J. w. NELSON ETAL3,196,245

APPARATUS FOR WELDING PIPE LINES Filed Oct 16, 1961 2 Sheecs-Sheet 2 soFlG.-5 18' as m 97 as g .54 93 J I05 a 19 4 52ml m 63 a i 4 us I20Jerome W. Nelson Glenn E. Faulkner INVENTORS Hurry C. Cook BY%, %.M

PATENT ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,196,245 AFPARATUS FGR WELDINGPllll LENE Jerome W. Nelson and Glenn E. Faulkner, Columbus, Ohio, andHarry iC. tlooir, Grange, NJL, assignors, by direct and mesneassignments, to Essa Research and Engineering Company, Elisabeth, Nalh,a corporation of Delaware Filed Get. 16, W61, Ser. No. 145,367 3(Ilaims. (Cl. 219-6h) The present invention relates to an improvedmethod and apparatus for welding pipe lines and analogous tubularstructures. It relates more particularly to a method and an apparatusfor expediting the formation in the field of girth welds in largediameter pipe lines. The invention is also applicable to structuresother than pipe lines wherein analogous problems are encountered.

In the past numerous efforts have been made to weld pipe lineseconomically and rapidly in the field. Until recently none of themethods proposed or the apparatus used have been particularlysuccessful. Field conditions normally dictate that the pipe must bewelded without rotation and, moreover, the equipment involved must berelatively simple and readily portable. These considerations restrictthe freedom of choice of equipment which might otherwise be used.

Recently a system has been developed which involves performing apreparatory operation such as a preliminary cutting, spacing or shapingof the joint between abutting pipe ends that are to be secured together,followed by welding the prepared joint, both operations beingaccomplished by orbiting an operative member around the nonrotated pipe.Under exceptional conditions the same apparatus and method can beapplied to rotated pipe, for example, in double-jointing operations.Normally in the field, however, the pipe is non-rotatable.

While the process and apparatus just mentioned have beenoperatedsuccessfully, their application to pipe lines of large diameter hasinvolved certain difficulties. it is one object of the present inventionto solve these diiiiculties.

One difiiculty is that the system used to orbit the operative memberaround the pipe must be accurately aligned with the ends of the pipe.The travel of the orbital member must be in a plane perpendicular to thepipe axis. It is an object of the present invention to expedite the formation of girth Welds in large diameter pipe lines by prepositioning abed or gauging member on the pipe preliminary to mounting the actualoperating equipment. This bed or gauging member then is used to locatethe system so that it is accurately aligned with respect to the joint.

A further object is to provide light, easily portable, pro-positioningequipment which can be quickly mounted on a pipe to form a bed or agauging unit for separate annular track equipment. The actual operatingelements are mounted on the track for orbital or planetary travel aboutthe pipe.

It is a further and specific object to reduce substantially the timerequired for forming girth weld joints in large diameter pipe lines. Inthe present invention, this is accomplished by mounting simple bed orgauging equipment in accurately determined position on the pipepreliminary to setting thereon the heavier functional equipment. In thisway, with relatively little manpower, the preliminary gauging equipmentmay be mounted one or more joints ahead of the Welding operation, andthe whole operation may be expedited considerably. The followup of thewelding operators who mount the track or guid ing units on the pipe lineas the joint is to be formed, is considerably speeded up by thepre-positioned bed which is readily and quickly installed.

The invention will be more clearly understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of a large pipe having mounted thereonpre-positioning or gauging equipment according to one form of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of the pipe showing theequipment of FIG. 1 plus an adjusting gauge which may be used topre-position the bed or gauging equipment proper;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view showing one of theprecision gauging elements on the pro-positionable bed equipment;

FIG. 4 is an end view with the pipe shown in section, showing the tracksystem that guides the operating equipment installed and ready for awelding operation;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along theline 55 of FIG. 4, showing in outline an operating welding carriage inaddition to the elements illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fagmentary sectional View with parts broken away, takensubstantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5, showing the relationshipbetween the guide track and the prepositioning gauge elements of themounting bed.

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a typical pipe section 11 inend elevation, on which is mounted a split band or ring 13 havingprecise gauging blocks or elements 15. Three gauging blocks are used toestablish the plane parallel to the end of the pipe (and substantiallyperpendicular to its axis). They are preferably spherical balls suitablysupported. As shown herein the gauging blocks 15 (see FIG. 3) aremounted on slide blocks 16 which fit into dovetail grooves 17 in blocks18 welded or otherwise secured to the bed ring 13 so that they can beadjusted independently of said ring. The latter preferably consists of athin steel band that is tightened on the pipe wall by any suitable meanssuch as turnbuckle 23, FIG. 1. Instead of the turnbuckle, a quickrelease toggle or cam type tightener of well known type may be employed.Any suitable holding means may be used that will apply sufiicientpressure between the band and pipe to keep the bed or ring from shiftingunder the normal impacts to be expected when the track apparatus isinstalled about the pipe.

Before tightening, the band 13 is applied to the pipe so that thepositioning blocks 15 are almost touching the application or spannergauging member 25, FIG. 2, when the latter is held against the pipe end.This member 25 has arms 27 (see also FIG. 3) carrying a ring 28 which isadapted to fit snugly against the gauging elements 15. Member 25 alsohas surfaces 31 which are brought to bear against the machined endsurface of the pipe so that, the lengths of arms 27 all being equal, thegauging blocks 15 can be adjusted to a precise distance from themachined end of the pipe. After the parts have been properly positioned,the turnbuckle or other tightener 23 may be tightened to secure thepre-positioned bed in place. After turnbuckle 23 is tightened, thegauging blocks are moved into firm contact with the gauging member 25 toobtain the desired precise alignment.

Now referring to FIG. 4, the guide track which will serve to support aswell as to guide the operating elements used in welding, is formed of aplurality of relatively movable segments 41 and 43. in the form shown inFIG. 4-, there are two such segments hinged together about a hinge pin45. The track members are fitted with interleaved ears or hinge elements4'! which engage the hinge pin. Alternate elements are cut away asindicated at 4? to permit opening the assembly to and beyond the dottedline position shown in FIG. 4. This obviously is required for removingthe assembly from the pipe line after a welded joint has been completed.Othercl wise the unit would have to be slid along the pipe to the nextjoint, requiring removal of pipe supporting blocks and probablyinterference with obstructions in the excavation, such as projections ofrock, etc.

The track members 41 and 43 are constructed to engage the gauging blocks15when the track tracks mem bers are in the closed position. The gaugingblock 15 at the top of the pipe engages the track through a coneshapedhole or recess 50 to position the track both radially and axially.Recess 50 is located near the hinge d5, 47. At the sides of the pipe,other gauging blocks 15 engage the track through slots 52 formed in basemembers 54 integral with the track. See PEG. 6. These positioningelements bring the track into proper axial alignment as it is closed tooperative position. Slots 52 rather than holes such as 56 are used toallow some relative circumferential movement as the track is opened. Thedepth of the slots and height of the positioning blocks are designed toallow engagementunder the normal extremes of eccentricity or otherout-of-roundness that may be expected in commercial line pipe.

At their free opposite ends, the track segments 41 and 43 are joined byinterleaved tongue and plate elements 51 and 53 respectively. A lockingdevice 55 holds the unit together, after which a strong tensioning meansmay be applied to bear against the pipe wall and hold the track in placeby heavy frictional engagement. Various means may be used for thispurpose but as herein shown, a series of eccentrically mounted clampingblocks 57 are used. Obviously hydraulic pressure means could besubstituted as well as other mechanical locking devices well known inanalogous arts.

Inside of the pi e there is provided a suitable clamping device ofconventional type. The particular clamping means employed forms no partof the present invention, except that it preferably includes strong backelements which bridge the gap between the two pipe sections. One ofthese is seen in FIG. as having end engaging elements 61 and 63 whichengage respectively pipe section 11A seen at the left of FIG. 5, and thenewly installed pipe section 118 shown at the right. Suitable togglearms or other pressure applying elements, not shown, apply heavypressure independently to the respective ends of the strong back bars.It will be understood that the means for applying such pressure mayconsist of a hydraulically operated piston or any suitable mechanicalarrangement for insuring uniform application of clamping pressure to theelements err, '63. By separate application of force to the two ends, onepipe end may be clamped While the other is released or vice versa.

Referring more specifically to PEG. 5 the track elements 41 43 have agenerally channel-shaped configuration involving base or rib elements75, 77 which fit reasonably closely to the pipe surface, a transversewell element 79 which connects these, and upstanding flange members 81,33 having inwardly turned rim elements 35 and 87 respectively. Theflange elements d5, 87 overlie the carrying rollers 91, 93 of a carriagestructure 90, and additional holding rollers 95, 97; the latter bearagainst inturned rim elements 85 and 87 to keep the'carriage on thetrack regardless of its position around the pipe. The carriage structureper se is not part of the present invention and the illustration of itis suiiicient only to aid in describing the present invention and itsapplication to pipe line welding. The carriage may be varied in form andthe cross-section of the tracks may be varied also.

Means including a drive motor $9 which may impart power to a spur gear111 which engages a rack or gear 113 on the'track provides for travel ofthe carriage about the supported track. It will be understood thatsuitable means for adjusting the alignment, pressure, etc. of the guiderollers etc., and their relationship to the supporting surfaces, will beprovided as will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

The carriage 90, as shown, supports by means of an arm 101 a weldinghead 103, to which welding material such as welding wire 105 may besupplied in a well known manner.

Referring again to FIG. 5, the gauge block 15 engages slot 52 formed byrib elements 54- so that the track is properly aligned. With thisalignment, the carriage carries the Welding head properly around thetrack. Hence it will be understood that when the track is applied to thepro-positioned bed and the matching surfaces carefully and preciselyengaged, the track may be readily clamped in place and be properlypositioned for the welding operation. This is highly important since thekerf 120, FIG. 5, is a very narrow slot and the welding wire preferablyshould be fed substantially to the middle of this narrow slot. Hence thecarriage must travel in a plane which is truly perpendicular to the pipeaxis (within resonable tolerances). Control elements may be provided forassuring even more precise wire alignment, etc., but these form no partof the present invention.

it will be understood that the carriage per se may include otherelements in addition to, or even in lieu of the welding head 103. Itperferably includes a thin cutting device, not shown herein butdescribed in detail in co-pending application, Serial No. 60,684, filedOctober 5, 1960, now Patent No. 3,084,244. Suitable drive means also maybe provided therefor so that the lcerf 126 may be out to fairly precisedimensions preparatory to the welding operation. The carriage maysupport both the cutting element and the Welding head, or a separatecarriage may be provided for each if desired.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the apparatus describedfacilitates field welding operations by making it possible for one ortwo members of a crew to go ahead of the welding operation and carefullybut quickly install the pre-position-ing bed equipment. Following this,the operating crew can lift the considerably heavier guide trackequipment and carriage into place, set it quickly, clamp it firmly(along with installation of the internal clamp, where used) and thewelding operation and related operations may proceed immediately.Without this pre-positionihg feature, time required for mounting andpositioning the relatively heavy and rigid guide track equipment tendsto become excessive in field operations. Experience has shown that thetotal time required is substantially reduced and the operationsubstantially expedited by the pre-positioned bed technique.

As indicated above, the clamping or strong back bar elements 6 1, 63 areprovided to hold the pipe ends in pro-per relative position, includingproper end-to-end spacing and proper axial alignment. It will beunderstood that ordinarily the clamping bars 63 and 61 will be firmlyinterconnected so that they hold the pipes in proper relative positionto each other throughout the operation. In any case, the clampingequipment should clear the actual welding situs so as not to interferewith either the preparatory cutting operation or the welding itself. Thepreferred welding process normally does not require, and preferablyavoids, use of a copper or other back up member inside the welded joint,as is used in some prior art processes. The clamping devices likewiseshould not interfere with cutting or welding.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that various alternates andmodifications may be made Without departing from the spirit of theinvention. It is intended to include such within the scope of thefollowing claims so far as the prior art permits. a

What is claimed is:

ll. In combination, a guide element for a welding mechanism adapted tobe positioned on a metal pipe body to perform a weld or the like along apredetermined line, and a pre-positioning means of relatively lightconstruction adapted also to be secured to said pipe body for accuratealignment of said guide element, a series of adjustable accuratepre-positioning gauge elements secured to said pre-positioning means atintervals along its length, said element and said pre-positi0ning gaugeelements having accurately mating opposed surfaces to insure accurateposition of the guide device on said body when the pre-positioning meansis properly mounted on said body.

2. In combination, a relatively light band of material carrying a seriesof accurately adjustable pre-positioning gauge elements, means forlocking said band under tension adjacent to a continuous work line and arelatively heavy and rigid track device having a portion mating withsaid pre-positioning gauge elements, and means for firmly attaching saidtrack device along said work line in a position determined by saidpre-positioniug gauge elements.

3. Combination according to claim 2 to which is added a welding unitadapted to travel along said track device and form a weld along saidline.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD M. WOOD,Primary Examiner JOSEPH V. TRUHE, Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION, A GUIDE ELEMENT FOR WELDING MECHANISM ADAPTED TO BEPOSITIONED ON A METAL PIPE BODY TO PERFORM A WELD OR THE LIKE ALONG APREDETERMINED LINE, AND A PRE-POSITIONING MEANS OF RELATIVELY LIGHTCONSTRUCTION ADAPTED ALSO TO BE SECURED TO SAID PIPE BODY FOR ACCURATEALIGNMENT OF SAID GUIDE ELEMENT, A SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE ACCURATEPRE-POSITIONING GAUGE ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID PRE-POSITIONING MEANS ATINTERVALS ALONG ITS LENGTH, SAID ELEMENT AND SAID PRE-POSITIONING GAUGEELEMENTS HAVING ACCURATELY MATING OPPOSED SURFACES TO INSURE ACCURATEPOSITION OF THE GUIDE DEVICE ON SAID BODY WHEN THE PRE-POSITIONING MEANSIS PROPERLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY.